


Take My Hand, We'll Dive Into the Sea

by SmilingTeresa



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Friendship, Humor, M/M, mermaid Kyungsoo, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 21:19:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14505690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmilingTeresa/pseuds/SmilingTeresa
Summary: Chanyeol had always been told that mermaids lived in the sea by his home, he had been told that they were graceful, beautiful creatures with flowing hair and voices like the angels singing from heaven above. But if that was true then what the hell was this half-fish, half-man thing caught in a fishing net, flopping around and swearing in three different languages?





	Take My Hand, We'll Dive Into the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #: L13  
> Pairing: Chanyeol/Kyungsoo  
> Monster(s): Merpeople  
> Rating: Teen  
> Warnings: None  
> Word Count: 1610  
> Author's Note: This is only the first part of the story! I promise it will be updated later.

 

 

 

“Just one more beer,” Baekhyun begs, his signature puppy eyes on display. The shorter man has already drank more than he could tolerate and is on the verge of passing out. 

 

“I think you’ve had enough,”Chanyeol says easily dragging Baekhyun away from the bar and closer to the exit where Jongdae is waiting for them. He’s just as intoxicated despite his refusal to admit it. His slurred speech and sluggish movements definitely give him away.

 

Compared to his lightweight friends, Chanyeol has a high tolerance for alcohol so he’s sober enough to call a cab. He manages to manhandle both drunks into the backseat of the cab when it arrives, hurriedly giving out the address for Baekhyun and Jongdae’s shared apartment to the annoyed looking driver.

 

Chanyeol waves goodbye to his friends as the cab pulls away and begins his walk home. His own house is a reasonable distance from the bar. Unlike most of his friends, Chanyeol doesn’t live in the more urban area of the well known sea city. His house lies along the beach, close to the harbor.

 

It had been quite pricey to even consider renting a house facing the ocean but Chanyeol had fallen in love with the scenery instantly. Luckily, his job at the zoo would be able to cover the expensive rent he had to pay each month.

 

Another bonus was how convenient it was for him to go sailing. It was a hobby he picked up as a kid and continued to do so till this day. He even tagged along with his elderly neighbor on her boat when he had the free time to do so. Due to the recent incoming of new animals, he had less time to spend out at sea.

 

Not too eager to return home, Chanyeol decides to take a detour closer to the harbor. He savors his time outside, glad to not be drenched in rain for once. The region had been plagued with a storm for the past week so the warm weather was a welcome change. 

 

It isn’t until he’s a bit closer to home that he hears loud noises interrupting the silence he had gotten used to. The beach is usually deserted during this time of night so Chanyeol can’t even imagine what might be happening with the range of swears he can hear.

 

Normally, Chanyeol would be the type of person to avoid such suspicious sounding noises. He doesn’t like to admit it but he’s a certified wimp. Chanyeol can’t even watch horror movies without flinching every five seconds. The thought of wandering the beach alone at night seems like something he should clearly be running away from.

 

But the noises sound too distressed for Chanyeol to simply ignore and it would eat him up for the rest of the week if he didn’t check it out. He makes a quick prayer, hoping that there isn’t a serial killer lurking near the shore before he treks through the grainy sand.

 

When he finally finds the source of all the noise, Chanyeol stops in his tracks. Nothing could have prepared him for actually seeing what appears to be an actual living mermaid, scaley tail and all.

 

Chanyeol would like to believe it's the alcohol. Everything would make so much more sense if he could blame what he's witnessing now on the shots from earlier. For once, having a high tolerance isn’t a good thing. 

 

It would be so easy to claim the creature is something else. But as someone who has studied animals for the past few years,the only label that seems even remotely appropriate is mermaid.

Or merman to be technically correct. He can't imagine a female having such a deep velvety tone to their voice.

 

Chanyeol finally manages to ignore the part of his brain that is freaking out over the mystical being, to offer his assistance. He carefully approaches, hoping to not spook him too badly. It doesn't seem like he has to worry about that because the merman is too busy spitting out curses like a sailor to even acknowledge Chanyeol’s presence. Some are words he recognizes but the others are obviously in languages he's never learned himself.

 

Now that he knows he at least speaks Korean, Chanyeol takes the last few steps to get as close as possible. It appears the merman is stuck in one of those nylon fishing nets that visiting tourists have been carelessly abandoning into the sea. 

 

Without out warning, Chanyeol releases a small sneeze. The creature instantly freezes once he realizes he's no longer alone and stares Chanyeol down with icy blue eyes.

 

Those eyes are absolutely terrifying yet so beautiful and Chanyeol feels himself drowning in them as time continues to past. Their little staring contest ends with the merman splashing his turquoise colored tail, getting Chanyeol soaked. He sputters in shock.

 

"What the hell?"

 

"That's what I should be saying." The being says, with a roll of his eyes. "Are you just going to keep gawking are you going to help?"

 

"...help?" Chanyeol replies, not really expecting this kind of attitude from a mermaid of all things. Weren't they supposed to be gentle and sweet creatures?

 

The merman groans. "Can we just skip the part where you freak out over my existence and move on to the part where you get me out of this damn net?”

 

Chanyeol slowly nods. He feels like he’s having an out of body experience. 

 

"Any day now, human," The merman says, flapping his tail. This time there isn't a huge splash but it does snap Chanyeol into action. He pulls out his utility knife that he luckily always carries on him. He never thought he’d be using it in this kind of situation. 

 

Chanyeol begins cutting into the nylon, carefully avoiding the tail. He tries not to think too much about what’s happening, attempting to carpentmentalize his panic in the back of his mind as he continues with his task. He’s so preoccupied with his thoughts that he accidentally lets the knife slip, leaving the merman with a small cut to his tail.

 

“Fucking shit. Pay attention, dumbass.” 

 

“Sorry,” Chanyeol replies, feeling slightly intimidated by the merman’s glare. 

 

He gets back to work quickly. This time Chanyeol manages to cut the rough material without any slip ups. He expects the merman to swim away now that he’s free. Instead, the merman is frowning down at his tail.

 

Chanyeol is about to ask if he’s alright when the merman faces him again. “I owe you a wish, human.”

 

“Seriously? You can do that.” Chanyeol answers excitedly. At least something good will come of this.  “But genies are the only ones that can do that.”

 

“Please, us merfolk grant better wishes than they ever will,” He scoffs incredulously, “Plus, we don’t use those ridiculous loopholes to fuck you over.”

 

Chanyeol only nods dumbly to this new information. He wonders what other magical creatures exist along with mermaids. “Do ghosts-?”

 

“Listen here, human,” the merman interrupts, “I’ll tell you all the useless facts about anything you want to know if you let me crash with you for the night.”

 

Against his better judgement, Chanyeol is vigorously agreeing to this deal. Even though he’s a little scary, the merman doesn’t seem to be dangerous. Probably, grumpy but nothing to be afraid of. That’s when he remembers one small problem. “Wait, how am I going to get to you to my house?”

 

The merman seems to pay no mind to his question as he hoists himself on his arms, dragging his body closer to sand. Once he seems satisfied, he gives Chanyeol a pointed glance.

 

“Turn around, human and don’t look.”

 

“Okay,” Chanyeol answers, puzzled by the odd request. Well everything about this night has been odd so why not. While he’s turned away, he can hear the merman grunting. He’s letting out profanities again and Chanyeol can’t help but chuckle under his breath.

 

Curious to what’s going on, he turns around and is shocked to see the merman no longer has his tail. His entire bottom half is now completely human, legs and all. Chanyeol blushes up to his ears when he registers this, hurriedly taking off his jacket to give to the man.

 

“I’m sorry!”

 

The merman surprises him by laughing. “This is why I said don’t look. Humans are always so weird about nudity. You can turn around now. “

 

Once he feels calm enough, Chanyeol does and he can’t help think he looks downright cute drowning in the oversized piece of clothing. He’s still seated in the sand though which confuses Chanyeol, until he watches the man stand up on wobbly legs.

 

Thinking about it, it makes sense an aquatic creature wouldn’t be used to walking on land. Being the good samaritan he is, Chanyeol offers his arm to him. He had predicted the merman would reject it but is taken back when he feels the other’s strong grip on him. 

 

“Thanks,” He says as they walk the short length to his house. “You’re not bad for a human.”

 

“My name isn’t human.” He replies, feeling a bit awkward to be called that. “It’s Chanyeol.”

 

The merman rolls his eyes. “Alright,  _ Chanyeol _ .”

 

He didn’t think someone could sound so patronizing just by saying a name. “Well are you gonna tell me yours or should I call you fish boy?”

 

Chanyeol absolutely does not flinch at the glare directed at him. “It’s Kyungsoo.”

 

“Well, it’s nice meeting you Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol replies, showing his dazzling smile in an act of friendliness. “I have so many questions!”

 

“Why am I already regretting this?”

Chanyeol only laughs in response.


End file.
